Physician (General Surgeon)

Veterans Health Administration•Tucson, AZ

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Southern Arizona VA Health care system is seeking an experienced professional to join our dynamic Surgical team. If you have expertise in routine General Surgery, including abdominal, hernia, soft-tissue, endocrine, oncologic, trauma surgeries we want to hear from you! VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not approved. EDRP Authorized: Approved. Position(s) listed under this Open Continuous Announcement (OCA) MAY be eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. Applicants selected for an EDRP-eligible position will be notified in their conditional job offer. The selectee must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit an EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program approval, award amount (up to $200,000), and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply. Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases. Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME). Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA. Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement). Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory. CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification). Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided. Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting. Duties will include the following but not limited to: Position Overview: Provides comprehensive surgical care for Veterans at SAVAHCS. Works within the multidisciplinary Surgical Service (General Surgery Section). Ensures compliance with VHA, Joint Commission, NSO, and VASQIP requirements. Clinical Duties: Perform full spectrum general surgical procedures (abdominal, hernia, soft-tissue, endocrine, oncologic, trauma). Conduct outpatient evaluations, inpatient management, operative care, and post-operative follow-up. Participate in call rotation for urgent and emergent surgical needs. Complete pre-operative assessments and collaborate with PAT and anesthesia teams. Document care in CPRS/VistA Surgery Package per VHA directive requirements. Quality, Safety & Compliance: Participate in VASQIP reviews, mortality/morbidity conferences, and NSO reporting. Adhere to surgical safety guidelines (correct-site surgery, retained-item prevention). Support departmental initiatives to improve surgical access, efficiency, and patient safety. Education & Training: Teach and supervise residents, fellows, students, and APPs in an academic VA environment. Contribute to competency assessments and interdisciplinary educational efforts. Administrative Responsibilities: Attend surgical service meetings and interdisciplinary rounds. Collaborate with anesthesia, nursing, quality, risk management, and other specialties. Support workflow optimization and performance improvement projects. Work Conditions: Requires manual dexterity, long procedure times, and ability to perform strenuous surgical tasks. Participation in nights, weekends, and on-call schedules as needed. Must maintain privacy, cybersecurity compliance, and sensitive data protection. Performance Expectations: Provide high-quality, evidence-based, Veteran-centered care. Maintain timely documentation and effective communication. Uphold VHA standards for professionalism, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Work Schedule: Full-time, permanent, nights, weekends, and on-call schedules as needed.

Requirements

U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
Subject to background/security investigation.
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
You may be required to serve a probationary period.
Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine.
The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed.
Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia.
Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification.
NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.
Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the Physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences.
Exceptions: Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs).
PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent basis.
PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision.
Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs.
In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.
Proficiency in spoken and written English.
Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine.
The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed.
Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted.
Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated.
NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities.
The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.

Nice To Haves

MD/DO with completion of ACGME-accredited general surgery residency.
Board certification or board eligibility in General Surgery.

Responsibilities

Provides comprehensive surgical care for Veterans at SAVAHCS.
Works within the multidisciplinary Surgical Service (General Surgery Section).
Ensures compliance with VHA, Joint Commission, NSO, and VASQIP requirements.
Perform full spectrum general surgical procedures (abdominal, hernia, soft-tissue, endocrine, oncologic, trauma).
Conduct outpatient evaluations, inpatient management, operative care, and post-operative follow-up.
Participate in call rotation for urgent and emergent surgical needs.
Complete pre-operative assessments and collaborate with PAT and anesthesia teams.
Document care in CPRS/VistA Surgery Package per VHA directive requirements.
Participate in VASQIP reviews, mortality/morbidity conferences, and NSO reporting.
Adhere to surgical safety guidelines (correct-site surgery, retained-item prevention).
Support departmental initiatives to improve surgical access, efficiency, and patient safety.
Teach and supervise residents, fellows, students, and APPs in an academic VA environment.
Contribute to competency assessments and interdisciplinary educational efforts.
Attend surgical service meetings and interdisciplinary rounds.
Collaborate with anesthesia, nursing, quality, risk management, and other specialties.
Support workflow optimization and performance improvement projects.

Benefits

Competitive salary
Annual performance bonus
Regular salary increases
50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME)
Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting)
Federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Free liability protection with tail coverage provided
No Physician Employment Contract
No significant restriction on moonlighting
Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement for CME (must be full-time with board certification)